


There And Back

by Musafir



Category: VIXX
Genre: Crack, Domestic Fluff, Family Fluff, Female Cha Hakyeon | N, Female Jung Taekwoon, Ficlet Collection, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Protectiveness, Rule 63
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-02-26 21:08:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21675379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musafir/pseuds/Musafir
Summary: “Hakyeon noona and Woonie are having a pillow fight in their underwear.” Ravi said, in a strangled tone of voice.VIXX.EXE HAS STOPPED WORKING.Abundance of small ficlets galore. Hakyeon and Taekwoon are female!
Comments: 6
Kudos: 65





	1. Pillow Fight

**EARLY DEBUT**

“Hakyeon noona and Woonie are having a pillow fight in their underwear.” Ravi said, in a tone so strangled it took them a few moments to figure out what he had said. He had been the one who had lost the rock paper scissors game for who was going to find out what all the heavy thumps and screaming emanating from the room of their female members was about.

Once it became clear, Hyuk rapidly reddened and Ken went very still and started to blink very quickly.

“Um.” Hongbin appeared to be having trouble organizing his thoughts. “I guess…we’ll just…leave them to it?”

Ravi nodded slowly and they all made their way to the living room, the farthest room away from the girl’s room. There was a thump and then loud giggling.

“A movie? Loud movie? Let’s watch a loud movie.” Hongbin suggested as Hyuk’s face began to take on a maroon tinge as he somehow managed to blush harder.

“The loudest movie.” Ravi agreed quickly.

They sat and watched the cooking channel with the volume on as high as possible.

**PRESENT**

“Hakyeon noona and Woonie are having a pillow fight in their underwear.” Ravi said blandly, attention barely shifting away from his phone.

“ _I am the Hanzo master_ . These noobs think they can take me with a _Roadhog_?” Hongbin scoffed, not taking his eyes away from his Overwatch game.

“It’s go time.” Hyuk kicked off his shoes and grabbed one of the couch cushions. Not one of the pillows off the couch. The actual seat cushion. Somehow, in his tree trunk like arms, it looked like a regular pillow. He strode down the hall with a devilish smile on his face.

Moments later, the peals of laughter emanating from the room down the hall turned to war cries and shrieks.

Ken calmly turned on the cooking channel from his spot on the couch where he was humming while browsing a new play script.

fin.


	2. Growing Pain

**EARLY DEBUT**

“Something is wrong with Noona.” Hyuk hissed at the rest of them quickly. He looked up to make sure that the girls of their group were still otherwise occupied, and turned back to them quickly. “She looks like she’s in  _ pain _ .”

“I noticed that too. Should we say something?” Ken whispered back.

“Maybe we should tell the manager? She keeps missing her cues and she looks like she’s about to cry. She might be sick.” Ravi whispered, taking a peek at the two girls huddled on the other end of their practice studio. Taekwoon was handing Hakyeon some chocolate.

“No!” Hongbin hissed, “She’s not sick. It’s  _ that _ .”

The other male members of his group looked at him blankly, and Hongbin cursed at being the only one with older sisters. He felt his face glow slightly red as he wondered how and why the world had led him to this moment where he found himself having to explain the female menstrual cycle to his male bandmates.

“You know…the once a month thing.” He hedged.

More blank stares.

“Dear god. She’s on her period.” Hongbin exclaimed exasperatedly.

Unfortunately, in his exasperation, and in the way things sometimes just  _ were _ ; the room had fallen silent just as his voice had raised out of his hushed whisper and the sentence was broadcasted clearly to the entire room.

All their heads snapped over to Hakyeon, and the leader immediately turned red and spun around, shoulders hunching and trying to disappear. It was a complete reversal of her normal; loud cheery voice, arms always gesturing emphatically and nearly bouncing in place to make her presence larger than her body. Taekwoon immediately gathered her close and glared daggers at them.

They all winced, knowing they would be on her shit list until she forgave them, or Hakyeon persuaded her to.

Hongbin felt guilt flood him and he tried to make up for it by spending the rest of the day jumping to do anything Hakyeon said.

**PRESENT**

“Have you seen my sweatshirt?” Ravi asked, hair still wet from his shower and dripping into the neckline of his tank.

“Degunie has it, but don’t-…” 

Ravi missed the rest of Ken’s sentence as he exasperatedly stalked towards the living room. Normally, they all wore each other’s clothes with no hesitancy or issues. But, this was currently Ravi’s favorite sweatshirt and it was  _ new _ .

They had an unspoken rule that new clothes belonged to their owners for at least three weeks before becoming free game.

“ _ Leo _ -…”

Ravi turned into the living room, tone heavy with reproach and immediately halted in his tracks.

On one couch, Hakyeon was sleeping on Hyuk’s lap, his large hand was shoved under her sweatshirt and massaging the small of her back. She was drooling into his sweatpants and Hyuk’s eyes promised severe retribution if Ravi woke her. Hakyeon often got clingy with Hyuk during her hell week, but it was amusing because, despite his protests, Hyuk also got clingy with her. He could have escaped the moment she fell asleep, but they all knew he wouldn’t move an inch. The other couch had Ravi’s intended victim.

Taekwoon was sitting curled up on the couch, long legs pulled in tight, nestled against Hongbin and crying her eyes out. In her hands was a steadily melting tub of chocolate ice cream. Hongbin had an arm around her, the other was holding his Gameboy in a loose, defeated grip.

On Hongbin’s gaming computer, a drama scene was playing out in high definition, with the female lead standing in the rain, crying dramatically. Taekwoon appeared to be crying as hard as her, and in Ravi’s personal opinion, doing a much better job at being attractive at it.

Hongbin turned to him first and immediately threw a pleading look at him. Ravi stifled a laugh ruthlessly. He had been in that position before and knew the struggle of wanting to do something else, but also wanting to take advantage of the one time a month that Taekwoon willingly let them into her personal space.

“Rabi?” Taekwoon burbled, finally catching sight of him. “Did you-…”  _ hitch _ “-…need something?” A fresh set of tears slipped down her cheeks.

“Hey, you.” Ravi said, immediately shifting his tone from its previously annoyed lilt to pure fluff. “How are you doing?” All thoughts of retrieving his sweatshirt immediately fled his mind. 

_ Please _ , Hongbin mouthed from behind Taekwoon, _ I need to pee.  _

“I’m okay.” Taekwoon warbled. She scooped out a tiny mountain of ice cream with the scoop, apparently not having had the willpower to get a spoon. She tried to shove it all in her mouth as Ravi watched with a carefully controlled expression. The melted sweet dribbled onto the sweatshirt and Ravi swore that was the last time he ever brought a white sweatshirt.

_ Just ten minutes, _ Hongbin begged, his beautiful features expressing nearly as much distress as Taekwoon’s. Ravi flattened his mouth to avoid smiling.

“Well, I need a hug.” Ravi said, “Want to cuddle with me instead of string bean? We can get him to go buy us food and finish watching this movie.”

“Fried chicken?” Taekwoon asked, hope shining in her eyes.

“Get me wings.” Hyuk whispered. “And get noona that green tea she likes from the place next door.”

“He’d love to.” Ravi said, smiling in to a conflicted Hongbin’s face.

“Sure thing. You two sit tight and I’ll be right back.” Hongbin said pleasantly.

They made the switch and Taekwoon settled into Ravi’s side, one sticky hand fisting the bottom of his tank top. Ravi extended one hand across her shoulders, tucking her into his side and then rested the other arm on top of the hot water pack that Taekwoon had pressed to her lower abdomen. At this point they were all pros at knowing how hard to press against the inflamed area without causing pain. 

Taekwoon pressed her cheek against his shoulder for a second in thanks.

“Thanks Binnie.” Taekwoon said, through another mouthful of chocolate ice cream. At this point, it was more of a chocolate slushy, but Ravi had already resigned himself to another shower. And a trip to the laundromat. “And pickles.”

“Whatever you want, Noona. Let me just grab Ravi’s wallet and I’ll be on my way.” Hongbin said, with a sweet smile.

“Wait, what?” Ravi asked, but it was too late as Hongbin literally sprinted away.

“Shh, I’m playing it.” Taekwoon hushed.

Ravi obediently hushed and settled in to watch a terrible drama on an overdone story of star crossed lovers, with his member crying hysterically next to him. At least there was going to be chicken later.

fin.


	3. Hold Em

**EARLY DEBUT**

“-three, four, five,  wait where’s-, one, two, three, fou-, oh! Me! I’m six! Let’s go guys!” Hakyeon called cheerfully from the head of the group, walking backwards to do her usual headcount. Taekwoon had already pulled her out of the way of three potential collisions.

They were at the airport heading to a concert abroad and Hakyeon’s excitement was infectious. Most of their team had gone ahead to prepare and they had their manager trailing quite far behind them, a member of the security team walking with him. They were relatively new still, and therefore didn’t have to worry about being waylaid by eager fans.

In the back of their minds, they wondered if they would ever reach that height of fame. It seemed like an impossible dream. Still, they walked in a loose group, having been very thoroughly coached on how to avoid any future scandals or rumors.

That was why when they, to their utmost surprise, ran into a group of fans, none of them moved to help Taekwoon get away from the excited group that she had been accosted with. The attention immediately made her freeze like a deer in headlights and she looked around for help. Hakyeon tried, explaining that they had to make their flight on time, as politely as she could, while Taekwoon wrapped her arms around herself and tried to maintain her personal space.

She threw a few pleading glances at them as the group jostled her, not grabbing but just eagerly pushing forward, and felt guilt war with the training that they had received. Under no circumstances were they allowed to touch each other in public. A single picture could destroy a group. 

Idols only became successful if they followed the rule to the letter.

It was only due to their manager arriving with the security guard that finally got them moving. In the plane, Taekwoon stole Hakyeon’s window seat and curled up tightly in the seat, facing away from everyone. She put her large headphones in, pulled up her hood, and was silent for the rest of the day.

When she got off the plane, her eyes were red.

It took a while for the guilt to fade and even longer for Taekwoon to begin trusting them with her safety again. 

**PRESENT**

“Come on, Noona.” Ravi’s hand gripped Taekwoon’s waist securely as the light turned green and they crossed the crosswalk to get to the airport. Multiple security guards and managers weaved around them. Ahead of them, Hyuk and Ken were bracketing Hakyeon, with Ken swinging her hand wildly back and forth, as they skipped ahead. Hyuk’s much longer stride let him keep pace with them without also having to skip. 

Behind barricades, their fans screamed out their love. They had been blessed with the most respectful fans, but that didn’t mean that seeing a large group of people screaming upon sight of you wasn’t daunting, especially if you already didn’t like crowds. Ravi felt Taekwoon press closer slightly and squeezed her reassuringly. Her head dipped down to hide her face under the hat she had pulled off Hyuk’s head in the car. 

Ravi waved at the fans as he walked quickly, but not so much, so Taekwoon’s smaller legs wouldn’t suffer. He smiled and waved, keeping their attention on him, all while keeping Taekwoon firmly at his side, half hidden. Right as they got to the biggest part of the crowd, Hongbin stepped up to Taekwoon’s other side and the noise swelled to a rising crescendo as their walkway narrowed so the fans were as close as possible.

There was a sudden drop in screaming from his right side and Ravi turned to see Hongbin facing the crowd with a finger at his lips. The visual smirked and shot the crowd a thumbs up as they immediately quieted. Ravi tried the same with the other side and the crowd quieted as they realized their idols were trying to tell them something.

Hongbin dropped his arm across Taekwoon’s narrow shoulders.

“Noona has a headache.” He called out to the crowd, immediately being hit with a wave of  _ awws _ . He grinned and they waved one last goodbye before pushing through the glass doors.

“Alright, Degunie?” Ravi asked as the outside noise cut off to the murmured hush of the airport.

“I’m fine. Thanks.” She uncurled her hands from around her sides and slipped one each into their hands. The willing contact said more about her gratefulness on their intervention than she would ever verbally. Ravi massaged the cold fingers to rub some warmth into them and Hongbin swung their joined hands with much more reserve than Ken was still doing with Hakyeon up ahead.

fin.


	4. Glow

**EARLY DEBUT**

“How do I look?” Hakyeon twirled in front of them, where they sat in a row stuffed into suits that made them feel like they were playing dress up. In the dim light of their waiting room, she glowed like the sun.

She wore a long golden dress that set her skin practically aglow. Her eyes were lit with happiness and a grin framed her face. It was all she really needed to immediately captivate every person in the room; her elegantly pinned up hair, ornate necklace draped across her neck and soft makeup simply enhanced what was already there.

They knew half her excitement was from the award show they were attending with high hopes, and the other half was from the new stylist that embraced her skin color instead of hiding it behind layers of whitening foundation. She looked genuinely happy, flushed young, and breathtakingly beautiful. It was startling to see for them. 

“You look weird.” Hyuk blurted.

Ken had never seen a person’s mood fall so fast. Hakyeon froze mid dress swish, and her smile froze on her face.

“You don’t look weird, Noona!” He said immediately. “Hyuk just means you look…um.” He struggled to find the right word.

“Different!” Hongbin said, sitting up with a hand raised. “Good different.”

“Yeah, you look fine.” Ravi said, with a thumbs up.

“We don’t usually see you in dresses. You look better in workout clothes. Wait. I mean because you wear them more. Not that you don’t look good in this.” Hyuk tried to organize his thoughts.

“Hyuk.” Jaehwan said with a strained smile. “Shut up.”

“Can do.” Hyuk said, immediately sinking back into the couch and looking like he wished he could disappear.

Taekwoon saved Hakyeon from responding to the questionable compliments by walking in with their manager. In contrast to Hakyeon, she wore a long black dress, which framed her figure and a red lip for a pop of color. Also in contrast, she glared at them so hard that they did not dare make a single comment on her outfit. Her hatred for dresses was widely known.

She did give Hakyeon a rare warm smile at the sight of her.

Before they could try and fix the utter ruination of Hakyeon’s confidence, their manager was ushering them out of the room. Hakyeon casually stepped away so she was next to Taekwoon. No one else would have thought anything of it because that would have been what she would have done  _ anyway _ , but there was just the slightest urgency to her steps that had them glancing at each other. She was upset. 

Then they were in the grand ballroom and there was no time to think about anything but being polite and trying not to make any social faux pas in the same room as some of the highest regarded people in their industry.

“My goodness, you look gorgeous!” The comment was called out in passing and out of the corner of his eye, Ravi caught a small smile bloom on Hakyeon’s face as she ducked her head at the compliment. They moved along.

“I’ve been trying so hard to get my skin this tan, it just won’t work. You don’t know how lucky you are, I can’t wear gold at all and you look like you were born to wear it!” A trainee that Hakyeon was somewhat close with gushed as they passed. Hakyeon laughed and promised to give her the secret to her genetics. She lifted her head higher.

“ _ Queen _ .” BTOB, a group they had close ties to, bowed in formation to Hakyeon, on one knee with an arm diagonal across their chest. Cameras flashed as Hakyeon first stood frozen in surprise and then threw her head back, laughing openly. She bowed to the group, exchanging hugs and greetings and they moved on a few minutes later.

A few more comments as they passed, trying to make it to their table. Hakyeon’s dress caught the light and heads turned to watch the graceful dancer lead her group to their table. More than one idol did a double take and looked her up and down. Her face warred with her dress for attention and deciding whether to look at the framed curves or the infectiously happy and beautiful face was torturous.

Hongbin and Ravi, at individual times caught a leer and casually side stepped to thwart the lecherous gazes.

Hakyeon’s glow was back in full force and her eyes were alit with joy as she turned her chair to talk to Taekwoon and a few girls from the table behind them simultaneously.

They ended up winning multiple awards. At the end of it, Hakyeon held on to flowers with one hand and the microphone with the other and breathlessly thanked all their fans and teams for their hard work. The MC stood beside her, congratulating them.

“Hakyeon, before we let Vixx perform for us, I have to say you are looking stunning tonight, my dear!”

“Thank you so much!” Hakyeon said, eyes crinkling and face flushed as she looked at the MC.

“I know people must have been telling you this all night, isn’t that right folks?” The MC turned the mic to the crowd.

“QUEEN!” Minhuk shouted from where BTOB was seated.

There was a roar of approval and more than a few catcalls. Hakyeon’s face pinked and she turned slightly, overwhelmed. The MC laughed delightedly.

“Now, I know what I say and what everyone else says is nice, but I’m sure the greatest impact comes from within, as we all know VIXX is a very tight knit group! You simply have to tell us what your members said when they saw you.”

Hakyeon didn’t miss a beat, proving that she really was born to be the leader.

“My boys knew my ego was going grow massively after tonight, so they gave me my favorite compliments.” Hakyeon laughed, “My Woonie smiled when she saw me, and my boys made sure that I knew I looked weird, good different, and fine! This is real V! V I X X VIXX!”

They barely made the transition into the greeting, thunderous laughter and applause lit the room, and the MC stepped away as the opening notes to their song suddenly blasted.

**PRESENT**

Taekwoon and Hyuk walked in front of them, the trail to Taekwoon’s navy blue evening gown long and encrusted with sparkling white jewels. She looked like the night sky had shyly offered her cloth. Her hair was dyed a soft white blond and glowed like the moon, curling softly down her exposed delicate back. In her usual fashion, her makeup was minimal, most of the focus on her catlike eyes, on which the makeup artist had recreated the starry night of her dress. Every time she blinked, her bright eyes peered through the night sky.

She had a hand slipped in the crook of Hyuk’s arm, which the makne had gallantly offered as they got out of the limo and onto the red carpet in front of hundreds of swooning and screaming fans.

The only reason she had accepted it was because her heels were very high and there was every chance that she would trip and fall without assistance. They all knew she was probably digging her manicured nails into his bicep and he was probably trying to crush her fingers lightly in retaliation. There was every chance that when they took the limo back home, Hyuk and Taekwoon would be covered in small bruises in the oddest spots from pinching each other to get the other to flinch awkwardly in public. 

Ken and Hongbin trailed behind the two, serving the dual purpose of distracting their fans and keeping people from stepping on Taekwoon’s dress and tripping her. She had made them promise not to let anyone trip her before even agreeing to put on the dress.

Hakyeon stepped out of the limo last, only to see Ravi’s hand extended towards her. He was a gentleman through and through, so she shouldn’t have been, but was pleasantly surprised. She gracefully let him help her out of the limo, gathering the cloth of her understatedly elegant white dress and letting it fall onto the red carpet.

“Ready, Noona?” Ravi asked, through a stage ready smile. His words were genuine, however.

“Let’s do this.” Hakyeon grinned back.

“They’re really going crazy over Degunie over there.” Ravi commented, waving at the fans that screamed at the sight of them. The bulk of the cameramen and women were gathered around where Hyuk and Taekwoon were posing, looking like otherworldly royalty. Ken and Hongbin were a few feet away, imitating their poses and getting laughs.

“She looks utterly breathtaking, of course they would be!” Hakyeon said proudly, also smiling and waving at fans screaming her name.

“She’s going to sulk because of the attention later until we buy her food.” Ravi said, laughing under his breath. “She wanted to wear your dress.”

“I know,” Hakyeon hummed, “But she deserves the spotlight, and I didn’t have time to do all the dieting and preparations to pull off that dress. Woonie could pull it off in her sleep.” The steady admiration and unconditional love effused in her voice was a burst of warmth for Ravi. There was always something so genuine and warm when Hakyeon talked about any of them that they never heard from anyone else in their cutthroat industry. 

“Taekwoon is beautiful.” Ravi agreed, hearing Hakyeon hum in agreement. He turned his head so his lips were close to her ears, brushing the top curve of it for a moment. “But no one in the world could outshine you, even on your worst day.”

Hakyeon froze, blinking in surprise for a moment, and then in a rare natural response, ducked her head away and blushed.

“ _ Ravi-ah _ .” She looked back at him, with the same glow that she had had since the first day, happiness and unmitigated joy flooding her. “You’re too sweet sometimes.” She scolded lightly, unable to contain the smile overtaking her face.

“I’m sorry, Noona. I just want to make sure you know that in our eyes, no matter where you are, what you wear, or what you are doing, you will always be  _ weird, good different, and fine _ .”

fin. 


	5. Summer Tan

**EARLY DEBUT**

Ken reached over and lightly yanked the end of Taekwoon’s ponytail. As she spun around, the promise of death swimming in her eyes, Ken quickly leaned back and looked at Hyuk with an over the top aghast expression. Hyuk visibly blanched as Taekwoon turned her narrowed eyes at him, still somewhat scared of the always glaring girl.

He shook his head as quickly as he could, pointing repeatedly at Ken to show the real guilty party. Fortunately, even if Taekwoon didn’t believe him, there was little she could do in retaliation because they were in the middle of an interview. Taekwoon slowly turned back around, sitting quietly next to a bubbly Hakyeon who was gushing about the mobility they had over their latest album. 

Hyuk kicked at Ken, who stuck his tongue out at him playfully. The interview was quite boring, and they left most of the work to Hakyeon, who easily picked up the slack. Next to Hyuk, Ravi said, leaning back against his chair and blinking slowly as he tried to stay awake. Hongbin sat a row down with the girls, and was nodding along to Hakyeon’s words. They weren’t sure if he was actually listening or just pretending to be artwork again.

“-so it really was a great experience for us, because we got to showcase our individual strengths in this album.” Hakyeon answered to a question that had gone over most of their heads. “Ravi wrote his own rap for our title song, and he worked very hard on it, we didn’t see him for days at a time because he slept in the studio. I choreographed the entire dance sequence for three of the songs, which was such an honor-…” Hakyeon’s voice lifted, and they all made a point to nod.

She had been over the top stressed about the choreography, and it had turned out to be exciting and amazing. She deserved the credit and recognition and to be proud of her work.

“That must have been amazing.” Their interviewer said with a strained smile, cutting Hakyeon off mid-sentence. Hakyeon politely fell silent, waiting attentively for the next question, her smile not wavering for a second. “So if I could change tracks for a quick moment, we have had a lot of fan questions come in and picked a few lucky ones to ask you face to face!”

They all clapped on cue, Hyuk nudging Ravi quickly to get him to sit up.

“The first one is for you Hakyeon, our viewers want to know what your skin care routine is! You have such great skin, but it must be so difficult because it’s so dark! Can you share with us what products you are using to try and manage your condition?”

“My…condition?” Hakyeon said, faintly.

Ken saw the back of her neck stiffen, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw their manager step just behind the cameras, arms crossed tightly across his chest. He looked angry.

The interviewer pressed a finger against her ear, where someone was probably speaking to her from offstage.

“I’m sorry, not _condition_.” The interviewer backpedaled. “I mean, obviously you are a quite a bit darker than your group, how do you manage that?”

“I…” Hakyeon faltered, shifting uncomfortably. She abortively looked around for help.

Next to her, Hongbin pressed against Taekwoon discreetly, feeling her tense and lean forward to glare openly at the interviewer. For the normally silent girl, it was practically like screaming obscenities. Hyuk and Ravi shifted next to Ken, feeling the sudden change in atmosphere.

“Are there certain products you use before live concerts to try and whiten your skin?” The interviewer pressed to their utter shock, probably thinking she was being helpful and trying to lead Hakyeon.

Taekwoon pressed forward and Hongbin steeled his body to hold her back. 

“The, um, the makeup teams…before the concerts, they handle all…the makeup. And I just use my normal moisturizers and facial wash…” Hakyeon stuttered. Her face was hot and red.

“Great!” The interviewer seemed relieved that Hakyeon had answered the question, even somewhat, and eagerly moved on. “So the next question for our next member! Hyuk, you-…”

The interview finished none of them able to inject any sort of enthusiasm in their tone. Ravi and Ken took over answering the general questions, leaving Hakyeon to sit with a plastic smile on her face. The previous lethargy disappeared and in its place was a simmering discomfort and an itch to leave.

Their manager cancelled all the interviews for the rest of the day and the horrendous interview never aired.

**PRESENT**

Hyuk yanked on Taekwoon’s ponytail and then grinned widely in her face when she turned around with a clenched fist. It was only because of Ken’s arm draped heavily around her shoulders, that she did not succeed in climbing out of her seat to attack him. He wrapped a hand around her clenched fist and waved it harmlessly, cooing.

Next to her, Ravi casually placed a hand on her knee, forcing it back down, all while smiling pleasantly. He and Hakyeon were explaining their latest concept and doing a great job of ignoring all the violence around him. The female interviewer was listening with a glazed look in her eyes.

Taekwoon shot Hyuk a look promising retaliation and stiffly turned back around. Hyuk made sure to smile widely and was reaching forward again to grab another lock of hair, when the interviewer said something that made him freeze in disbelief.

“So, now that your group has reached this level of success, you must be able to afford a lot more than before. Any plans to get skin lightening treatment? Can you share your plans with us? I’m sure your fans would love to know.” The interviewer asked.

In a manner so horrifyingly similar to the one years ago, Hakyeon went still. She was, however, much more experienced now and recovered within a second. If they didn’t know her like the back of their own hands, they wouldn’t have caught it. 

They were more experienced too now.

“Oh-…Well, I guess I-…” Hakyeon started lightly, keeping a forced smile on her face.

“ _ No _ .” Ken interrupted, incredulously. He would not sit by again, and watch as his fearless, tireless, loving, selfless leader was broken down to just her skin color and then made to feel bad about it. “Why would you ask that?”

“Oh, it’s just-…” The interviewer seemed startled.

“What kind of question is that?” Hyuk said, from beside Hakyeon, “Why does it matter? Noona’s skin color has nothing to do with her talent or personality.”

The leader had frozen, as if she couldn’t understand what was happening around her.

“Frankly, it’s ridiculous, that this question still comes up.” Ravi said, disgustedly. “Skin has nothing to do with nothing. It doesn’t even ascribe to beauty. Noona is one of the most beautiful women in the world, people all around the world have said it, and somehow it’s only here that people want to change her. Ridiculous.”

“It’s beyond ignorant to think that a person would change something so beautiful about themselves just because a misguided culture suggests it, wouldn’t you agree?” Hongbin said, with a dangerous smile.

“She won’t get any skin lightening treatments done just to fit into a box.” Taekwoon said, her soft voice ringing strongly. “She didn’t go through years of blood, sweat, and tears just to still, at this stage of her career and success, deal with stupid questions like this. So. No, the answer to your question is no, she’s not thinking about skin lightening treatment because her skin is beautiful the way it is.”

The interviewer looked like she had swallowed a lemon.

“This interview is done.” Taekwoon informed her, standing, reaching out and taking Haykeon’s hand within her own. They walked out. 

Hakyeon cried all the way home and then brought them dinner for all of them.

“I hope it airs.” Was the only comment made afterwards. 

fin.


	6. Look At Me

**EARLY DEBUT**

“You have a pretty voice.”

Taekwoon didn’t glare. She blushed.

Ravi was so startled by the unexpected reaction that he froze in his tracks and it was only due to Hongbin bumping against him that he numbly continued greeting the rest of EXO. He barely heard the name of the smaller idol in front of him, and hoped that he wasn’t offended.

“Thank you.” Taekwoon said, in her customarily soft voice. Ravi looked over just in time to see her tilt her head away, the barest hint of a shy smile clinging to her lips. He only saw it because she had ended up turning her head in his direction. She didn’t see him, instead peering back at the tall idol from underneath her dark eyelashes. “I’m Taekwoon. It’s nice to meet you.”

“I’m Yixing! You can call me Lay.”

Ravi felt that the other singer,  _ Lay _ , was being too forward, but no one else seemed to notice. He swallowed and turned back to the member he was supposed to be talking to, only to see him looking back at him with a suppressed smile. He had a knowing glint in his eye that made Ravi feel uncomfortable.

“Yixing is a nice name.” Taekwoon said, saying more words than absolutely necessary and setting off alarm bells in Ravi’s mind. He just didn’t know what they were trying to tell him. 

“Taekwoon is pretty too.” Lay said easily, in his barely accented Korean.

Ravi’s head snapped over so fast he felt a crick in his neck. He opened his mouth to say something, _anything_ , to intervene, but before he could, the member he was supposed to be talking to spoke up first.

“Lay! Come meet Ravi.”

The overly forward idol,  _ Lay _ , and Taekwoon turned to look at them simultaneously. Then Lay grinned at them, and touched Taekwoon’s elbow to move her forward. Ravi felt his vision tunnel to where the other idol touched his noona. Taekwoon didn’t immediately jerk her elbow away and Ravi felt a swooping feeling in his gut and his hand clench into a fist.

“Hi Ravi, I’m Lay.”

….

“…Ravi-ah?” Taekwoon’s soft voice, holding a note of concerned undercurrent broke him out the red haze enveloping his mind. He blinked and looked at her. Her soft eyes, slightly smudged with eyeliner were staring directly at him. Ravi forced himself to pull it together

“Sorry, nice to meet you-…” He stumbled through the rest of his greetings.

Somehow, he made it through the rest of the greetings without offending any members of the other group, and it felt like he could finally breathe when they left the other group’s waiting room.

Ravi felt the world tilt back into place and was fine for the rest of the day until that night, when he decided to grab a bottle of water before bed. Soft voices emanated from the living room, and as he drew closer, he realized it was Taekwoon and Hakyeon cuddled on the couch, whispering to each other.

They couldn’t see him, as he was hidden in the shadows of the darkened hall. Ravi was debating announcing himself or using the opportunity to scare them, when Taekwoon’s words made him freeze.

“I think I like him.” She confessed in the dark, to Hakyeon’s barely muffled squeal of delight.

Ravi stumbled back to his room on autopilot, the haze from earlier enveloping his mind in seconds.

All thoughts of water of were forgotten.

**PRESENT**

“Wow.”

The word was whispered so quietly that Hyuk thought he imagined it. He glanced up from his phone reflexively, not expecting to see anything, and did a double take.

There  _ was _ someone there and he was staring directly at Hakyeon. Hyuk narrowed his eyes. He vaguely recalled the man from a drama or something, and was pretty sure his name was Lee something. The man looked slightly stunned as he watched Hakyeon talk to someone else and Hyuk smirked.

His noona was stunning, that was for sure, but it was rare to see her literally make men stop in their tracks. That was usually their Degunie. Something about her catlike features and her steadfast refusal to acknowledge anyone trying to get her attention drew men to her like a flame, causing a headache for their security and much amusement for the rest of them. Hakyeon attracted a much more mature type, but they could never be too careful.

Hyuk narrowed his eyes and took in the man, trying to ascertain whether he would be a security threat. Usually they didn’t have to worry about other idols and members of the entertainment industry, but one could never be too careful. This guy looked harmless though, he had an innocent face and kind eyes, and while Hyuk knew better than to judge a book by its cover, he got the sense that this guy would be just like all the others, a harmless admirer from afar.

Hyuk shrugged and looked back down at his phone, already dismissing Hakyeon’s latest admission to her collection of love struck wimps. Hopefully this party would be over soon and they could go back home.

Xx

“Where’s Noona?” Ravi asked, as he accepted his coat from a PD.

“I just saw Woonie with Binnie and Jyani, they said they were heading down first.” Hyuk said, shoving his hand through a sleeve.

“No, I meant Hakyeon.” Ravi said, scanning through the milling crowd of people. “She said she was heading out earlier, but look, her coat is still here.”

Hyuk furrowed his eyebrows and looked to make sure Ravi was right. He was, Hakyeon’s navy blue coat, with a ROVIX pin on the shoulder, hung neatly behind the coat check, still not retrieved.

“I didn’t see her leave with everyone else.” Hyuk said, gesturing for the jacket. “Maybe she got distracted by someone. Let’s see if we can find her, otherwise we are going to have to wait forever.” He folded the jacket over one arm and joined Ravi to wade through the crowd.

It didn’t take long to find Hakyeon, even though it was clear that whoever she was talking to tried to find them some privacy. Ravi was the one to point her out, as he glanced over the banister of the grand staircase.

“Oh, look. There she is, behind those flowers.” He said, pointing so Hyuk could spot her.

Hyuk squinted his eyes and spotted her almost immediately. There was an ornate bouquet of flowers on the table and she stood just on the other side, facing someone that had their back to them.

“What is she… _ oh _ .” Ravi said, halting mid-sentence.

Hyuk barely heard him, narrowing his eyes at the man’s profile. There was something familiar about…

_ “Hell no.” _ Hyuk snarled. 

“Woah!” Ravi cried, as Hyuk stormed towards the staircase. “What are you doing?” He grabbed Hyuk’s arm, forcing him in his tracks.

“She’s talking to that creep.” Hyuk said, angry with himself for dismissing the man earlier. “He was staring at her before, but I didn’t think he looked like he had the balls to corner her so I didn’t say anything.”

“Hyuk, stop!” Ravi cried, as Hyuk pulled his arm out of his grip. “Let this one go.”

“What?” Hyuk asked incredulously. “Are you kidding me?”

“No man, trust me. Let him talk to her.” Ravi said, seriously. “That’s Lee Won Geun. He’s the nicest guy you’ll ever meet and he’s liked Hakyeon since forever. Trust me.”

“But…” Hyuk felt hollow.

“I know, feels weird right?” Ravi smiled tightly. “This one is safe though, I promise. He’s a good guy.” 

“It just…she…” He didn’t know what words to use to explain why it felt wrong, because he couldn’t explain his feelings to himself either.

“Yeah, I get it buddy. Come on. We’re sitting this one out okay? Let’s go.”

“Are you…” Hyuk swallowed, suddenly feeling very young, “Are you sure?”

“I would never let anything bad happen to her.” Ravi said firmly, not offended, but still reminding Hyuk that even through it could easily be said that Hyuk and Hakyeon’s relationship was on another level, he still cared about her equally as much. “Come on, Hyogie.”

He gently tugged the small blue coat out of Hyuk’s grip and firmly turned him away from the scene. Hyuk’s last glimpse was of Hakyeon ducking her head shyly, before his vision was numbly filled with the bustling of idols and management all mingling as they said their goodbyes.

The coat was handed off to one of their managers, and Hyuk heard but didn’t process Ravi quietly asking that it be delivered to Hakyeon. The firm hand on his shoulder was the only thing keeping him moving as his emotions warred within him. They made it to the limo to find Hongbin, Ken, and Leo with their shoes kicked off and laughing about something that had happened earlier.

Hakyeon slipped in ten minutes later, her face flushed a lovely color, and a smile tugging at her lips. She apologized for being late, and told them a producer had held her up.

Ravi slipped an arm over Hyuk’s shoulders and smiled at him, something oddly understanding about it. Hyuk couldn’t find the will to smile back.

fin.


	7. Sweater Weather

**EARLY DEBUT**

“I don’t want to wear that.” Taekwoon mumbled.

Ken and Hongbin shot each other a wary glance. They were all getting ready for a photo shoot and already running late. In the next cubical over, the stylist dressing Taekwoon laughed in response to what she thought was a joke. The poor woman was new.

“It’s a sweatpants kind of day, huh?” The stylist said, with a small laugh, “Can you take off your shirt?”

“No.”

“…What?”

“Where’s Hakyeon?” Hongbin mouthed to Ken, desperately hoping the leader was close by. Their leader was the only one who could get their moody member to do something when she was didn’t want to.

Ken shrugged one shoulder, looking around anxiously. He shoved his leg through the pants leg faster.

“Are you serious?” The stylist was asking Taekwoon. Hongbin winced at her tone. “I don’t think you have a choice, this came straight from the designer.”

“It’s too small.” Taekwoon’s voice was getting softer and they knew they had minutes before she would resort to silently glaring instead of using words.

“Oh! It’ll fit you don’t worry, you’re so skinny! This will show your figure off perfectly.” The stylist said encouragingly.

“I don’t…” Taekwoon said, her voice wavering. She sounded actually distressed and Hongbin stopped, listening hard.

Ken’s mouth was in a hard line.

“Get Hakyeon.” He mouthed to Ken, who nodded immediately and strode out of the privacy cubical.

“Come on, kid. Listen, I know you might not want to, but here, that doesn’t matter. If you truly don’t want to, just quit and go home. There will be a ton more girls who can take your place in a heartbeat. Just wear the dress and stop giving your team a hard time. You don’t hear the rest of them complaining do you?”

There was silence from the cubical next door, and all Hongbin could hear was the blood rushing through him. His nails dug into his palms. There was no verbal response from Taekwoon but the stylist made a pleased noise.

“Good girl.”

He heard footsteps as the stylist gave Taekwoon a moment of privacy to change. Hongbin felt himself freeze as he heard a shuddering breath and knew Taekwoon was trying to do the breathing exercises Hakyeon had taught her by herself to calm down. He wished his head wasn’t so crowded and he knew what to say. He listened to his noona change and waited a beat after her side went silent again.

He stepped out of the cubical and into the hall, and a second later Taekwoon stepped out of hers, the privacy curtain swishing behind her. She turned to look at him with muted, sad eyes and Hongbin wanted to break something.

She wore a skimpy mini dress with a plunging neckline. Her long legs were bare and on her feet were strappy heels that she wobbled in insecurely. She trembled minutely. Hongbin didn't think she looked sexy, as the stylist had intended. She just looked exposed, vulnerable, and defeated. He wanted to wrap her in a blanket and take her far away from all the noise and bustle around him. Her eyes appeared to be begging him to help.

“Come on, noona. We’re going to be late.” Hongbin said softly, hating himself.

**PRESENT**

“What the heck are you wearing? Isn’t this an outside shoot?” Hongbin asked incredulously, looking from Taekwoon to the large windows that showed the sleet falling steadily outside. It had to be one of the coldest days in the year, Hongbin was sure of it.

“This is what they gave me.” Taekwoon said sourly, eyeing Hongbin’s cashmere sweater, leather jacket, gloves, scarf, and boots in jealously. There were goosebumps on her skin and she had her arms wrapped tightly around herself, the cold managing to permeate inside. Her teeth chattered intermittently from the small bursts of artic air coming in every time the door opened. 

In comparison to Hongbin’s weather appropriate clothing, Taekwoon wore a white lace long sleeved shirt tucked into a red plaid mini skirt. Her legs were bare and her feet had fur-lined boots. A flimsy scarf was wrapped artfully around her neck, in a way that looked good but did nothing to protect her from the cold.

“I’m cold.” Taekwoon said quietly, sighing and looking outside glumly.

“Yeah, I bet.” Hongbin shrugged off his jacket and dropped it over Taekwoon’s shoulders. “Don’t worry.”

She jumped in surprise, but then immediately drew the jacket closer. Hongbin looked around and flagged down the PD. If Taekwoon went outside in what she had on now only, she would catch pneumonia and die. Then Hakyeon would never let him hear the end of it. 

“She’s not wearing this.” Hongbin said, gesturing to Taekwoon, who watched the proceedings with a confused look.

“What?” The PD asked, looking startled.

“She can’t wear this outside.” Hongbin repeated as if he was talking to someone slow. “It’s like two degrees outside. She’s going to catch frostbite or a cold.”

“Oh. Well I’m sure we can keep a warm towel on hand in between takes. It’ll be fine.”

Taekwoon’s shoulders slumped. Hongbin’s shoulders steeled. 

“I don’t think you understand,” He said with a smile that only looked friendly to idiots. “She’s  _ not _ wearing this outside. Get her some pants or leggings or whatever. And a jacket.” 

“Binnie-…” Taekwoon said quietly, her eyes were wide and she shifted nervously.

Hongbin sidestepped and casually slipped an arm over her shoulders. He drew himself to his whole height and let his natural sharp smile on his face.

“I don’t think you want to be the person responsible for causing an idol to get sick or lose a finger to frostbite.” Hongbin said, looking at the PD with a raised eyebrow. He narrowed his eyes to what Hyuk liked to call his KO gaze.

“I’ll go see if I can find something.” The PD mumbled before fleeing. 

“Bin ah, It’s okay, I don’t want to give them a hard time.” Taekwoon said, anxiously. Hongbin turned and wrapped his other arm around her, feeling her burrow into his chest and shiver there minutely. He didn’t get to do this often; the rest of his members on a whole other level of tactile than he was, but it felt nice. He made a mental note to shove Ravi out of the way and get there first next time.

The fans would have something to talk about.

“I know you don’t, noona, even though you should give people more of a hard time when you aren’t feeling comfortable. But since you don’t want to, I’ll do it for you.” Hongbin said, the words coming to him easily.

Taekwoon went still in his arms, processing the words, and then she melted. Her arms slid around his waist and she tucked her head against his chest. Hongbin smiled.

Oh yeah, he was shoving Ravi out of the way next time. 

fin.


	8. Chapter 8

**EARLY DEBUT**

_ “Oh my god.” _ Ravi said, in an embarrassingly high-pitched tone. He spun around to stare at the wall, blinking repeatedly to try to clear his vision and process what he had just seen. “I’m sorry!”

“Get out!” Hakyeon shrieked, from where she was cowering in the shower stall.

“I’m sorry!” Ravi cried, as he forced his numb feet to move and stumbled out the door, slamming it shut behind him. “I’m really sorry! I didn’t see anything!”

_ “Shut up!” _ Came the shout from behind the, now closed, bathroom door. 

Their loud voices attracted attention and in seconds, Hyuk and Hongbin were standing in front of him, clearing having abandoned what they had been doing and ran at the sound of panicked voices.

“What happened?” Hongbin asked, looking between Ravi and the shut door. “Is everything alright?”

“Is noona okay?” Hyuk asked, one hand reaching for the door.

“Don’t open that!” Ravi blurted, grabbing Hyuk’s wrist. “She’s fine. I- it was an  _ accident _ .” He cried.

“What did you do?” Hyuk asked, brows furrowing in confusion.

“Oh my god.” Hongbin said, realization dawning on him as he pieced it together. “You walked in on noona in the shower?”

_ “What?” _ Hyuk’s head snapped over to Ravi so fast they practically heard his neck crick.

“I didn’t mean to!” Ravi practically wailed. “It was an accident! And the door wasn’t locked!”

“Holy shit.” Hongbin whistled. “Did you, uh, see-…”

“No.” Ravi said firmly. “I didn’t see anything. It was so quick. I just saw a tan blob-…”

_ “Are you saying my body looks like a blob.” _

All three of them jumped as Hakyeon’s deadly voice sounded through the door. They had been so immersed in conversation that they hadn’t realized that the shower had turned off.

“No! That’s not-…” Ravi trailed off helplessly, looking overwhelmed and Hongbin took pity on him.

“Noona, don’t worry. I’ll beat this relentless pervert up for you.” He said, chivalrously.

“All of you go away.” Hakyeon said firmly. There was a note to her voice and with a start they realized that she was embarrassed.

“Noona-…” Ravi said, trying to figure out what to say to make it okay, but Hongbin shook his head at him quickly.

“Come on. We’re going to be in the living room, Noona.” He called, letting Hakyeon know she was free to get to her bedroom uninterrupted. There was no response but Hongbin dragged Ravi and a frozen Hyuk away anyway.

“Just give her time, don’t bring it up unless she does. She’s just embarrassed.” Hongbin advised in the living room. “At least she didn’t attack you. The last time I walked in on my sister she threw seven toothbrushes at me.” 

Ravi blanched.

Ravi and Hakyeon gave each other a wide berth for the next few days, but as Hongbin predicted, they fell right back into place.

**PRESENT**

“Where the fuck are all my bras, you assholes.” Taekwoon hissed, stalking into Ravi’s studio from his attached suite apartment. Her hair was wet from a shower, and Ravi’s distinct smell floated in her wake as she had clearly used his body wash liberally.

She wore a pair of his sweatpants, cinched tightly around her waist and nothing else. Her hands were cupped over her bare breasts and she looked ready to commit homicide.

Hyuk glanced up from where he was sprawled on the couch with too innocent of a smile.

“Noona! You’re going to catch a cold.” Ken scolded lightly, looking up from the table.

“Someone is about to catch a  _ dislocated jaw _ if you all don’t start talking.” Taekwoon snarled, narrowing her eyes at Hyuk.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, noona, but I’ve always been supportive of the go bare movement. Props to you.” Hyuk said, casually. His eyes lingered at a bruise he had accidentally left on her earlier that day.

_ “I will murder-…”  _

Before Taekwoon could finish exclaiming her intent, the door to the recording booth opened, and Ravi stepped out. He took one look around the room and blinked.

“So, uh, what’s going on here?” He asked, casually. His eyes flitted to the door that lead to the outside to make sure it was locked. It was three in the morning so the chances of someone coming in were rare, but anything was possible.

“It was Hyogie.” Ken sang from the table.

“Noona is embracing her nudist side.” Hyuk said sweetly.

Taekwoon took a threatening step towards him. She seemed to realize she was someone limited in her options with her hands currently occupied. Hyuk’s mouth stretched into a grin.

“Is this why there is a pile of bras hanging on my mic?” Ravi asked before the situation could escalate. He didn’t think Taekwoon was mad enough to wrestle Hyuk half-naked, but it had happened before.

“What?” Taekwoon snapped, already spinning on her heel to stalk past Ravi.

Ravi glanced back just in time to see her grab pull the topmost bra off the pile, her back to them. It was a lacy black thing and had back hooks that made her curse as she kept missing them.

“Noona, here.” He said, stepping up and doing the clasps up for her.

“Thanks Ravi-ah.” She said, turning and cupping his cheek for a second.

“Ravi hyung is really good at putting bras on, but not taking them off.” Hyuk cracked, getting a startled laugh from Ken.

Taekwoon’s eye twitched. She pulled out of Ravi’s hold and stalked back out to the main room.

“Oh shit.” Hyuk squeaked, devolving into pained laughter, as Taekwoon threw herself on top of him, newly freed hands doing their best to get revenge.

“Inside fists, please.” Ken reprimanded primly, neatly pulling his feet off the ground and underneath him so he wouldn’t be caught in the fray.

Ravi leaned against the door and watched them, cheering for Taekwoon. 

fin.


	9. Chapter 9

**EARLY DEBUT**

Hakyeon was one of the tallest in the group, especially in her stage heels, and she wore her height proudly. It especially came in handy when her band of rowdy children acted up and she needed to loom over them to put the Fear of Hakyeon into them.

Taekwoon was a little taller than her, but often appeared shorter because she didn’t like the lifts in the shoes and preferred to wear sneakers when possible. Or no shoes at all. They quickly learned to pick their battles with that issue. If they indulged her for a week straight, they could guilt her into wearing heels when it counted. And then she would guilt them into going out to get her food because her poor feet would be all pinched and swollen from wearing the heels all night. It was a symbiotic relationship.

Taekwoon generally didn’t use her height against them, because they were all somewhat terrified of the silent girl who would only speak in whispers to Hakyeon when pushed, but then sing like an angel on stage.

Hakyeon, on the other hand resorted to using whatever strength she had in order to cajole and or force them into doing what she wanted. Usually what she wanted them to do was inline with what management asked her to ask them to do, but since it was coming from her, it was fun to make it as difficult as possible.

“Hyogie, I swear if you don’t get up right now, you are going to be late for school  _ and I will beat you up.” _ Hakyeon threatened, stomping into Ravi and Hyuk’s shared bedroom again.

“I’m not going to school today.” Hyuk said, turning away from her and curling up into a ball under the covers.

Ravi stifled a giggle on the other bed. Hyuk was already ready, he had gotten ready when she had woken him up an hour ago, but had slipped back into bed to wait. The fun began when they realized Hakyeon didn’t know Hyuk was ready to go.

“Oh yeah sure, whatever you-,  _ do you have a death wish? Get up right now! _ ” She shrieked. 

“I’m quitting. I’m going to be an idol anyway.” Hyuk said flippantly. “I don’t need math.”

Hakyeon’s face was one for the books. She looked like she suddenly emphasized her with parents, felt a great deal of murderous anger, and like she was seriously considering a career change all at once. Then her face went neutral. Hyuk and Ravi glanced at each other nervously.

“I see. So what you are saying is you need help getting out of bed.” Hakyeon said seriously.

“What? No-… _ Noona _ !”

“Let me help you.” Hakyeon said pleasantly.

Hakyeon bodily dragged Hyuk out of bed and down the hall. She couldn’t quite throw him over her shoulder, but he couldn’t escape her grip as she dragged him to the door. Ken and Taekwoon watched sleepily from the kitchen as Hakyeon bodily threw Hyuk out the door of their dorm. It was a common enough occurrence that they didn’t even blink twice as Hyuk screamed for help and Hakyeon lectured him between strained breaths. 

“-And have a good day at school!” She shouted, before slamming the door shut. She leaned against the door for a second, out of breath, before springing back up. “What’s for breakfast?”

Taekwoon calmly served her a pancake.

**PRESENT**

Hakyeon glared at her coffee cup, which was innocently resting on the topmost shelf of their kitchen cabinet. When she had washed the dishes last night, she had put it on the nearly completely empty bottom shelf, which meant that one of her sadistic kids had  _ gone out of their way _ to ruin her morning. 

Hakyeon reached for the cup, cursing under her breath and straining on her tippy toes. This wasn’t fair. She was above average for the height of girls, but somehow she ended up in a group with the tallest men in the world. Life had a mean sense of humor sometimes.

“Noona, are you sure you aren’t shrinking?” Hyuk asked, teasingly as he grasped Hakyeon firmly around the waist and lifted her high easily. Hakyeon’s yelp of surprise made him laugh and he teasingly spun them around, causing her to shriek and grasp his hands in a tight grip.

“Hyogie, put me down!”

Hakyeon demanded, trying to squirm out of the grip. Unfortunately, he had gripped her from behind and she couldn’t get a good a hold on him. “You’re going to drop me!”

“Please. I lift weights heavier than you.” Hyuk scoffed, throwing her up to hear her shriek.

“Put me-  _ Taekwoon! Help!”  _ Hakyeon cried, extending an arm towards the door. 

Taekwoon had poked her head into the room, attracted by the loud noises and Hakyeon had caught sight of her immediately. Taekwoon took one step into the kitchen, still looking unsure if she wanted to get involved or not.

“Yeah, Noona. Come  _ closer _ .” Hyuk said, a smile that was all teeth on his face.

“Not today, Satan.” Taekwoon said, promptly spinning on her heel. “Sorry Yeonnie.”

“ _ Taekwoon! _ ” Hakyeon squeaked, outraged as Taekwoon speed walked away.

“Aww, she left.” Hyuk said, no hint of remorse in his voice.

“Sanghyuk, put me down or  _ I will beat you up.” _ Hakyeon threatened. There had been a blessed time in her life when those words used to get immediate results.

Hyuk laughed in delight.

“I’m just helping you get to your cup, Noona! No need for violence.” He said, as if she was being the unreasonable one here.

Hakyeon sagged in his grip and tried to reach for the floor. Hyuk laughed again and spun around so she was forced to pull herself upright or end up concussed against the counter.

“Fine!” Hakyeon seethed. “Nobody else’s makne is like this, you know! They are all well behaved, sweet children!”

“What are you smoking, Noona?” Hyuk asked, helpfully hovering Hakyeon by the shelf so she was able to grab her cup. “Do you know what Sehun did to Suho hyung yesterday?”

Hakyeon did know. She had been on the phone for an hour with him yesterday as he ranted about how he was ready to abandon the group to go live a simple life, herding sheep in the valley.

“Whatever. I got my cup.  _ Thank you so much for helping. Now put me down.” _ Hakyeon said, reaching down and setting the cup down.

“Don’t wanna.” Hyuk said, swinging her slightly.

Hakyeon nearly burst a vein. Then an idea came to her. If Hyuk wanted to hold her, then he could hold her.  _ For hours. _ Using muscles and grace born from years of dancing and wrestling much bigger members into submission, Hakyeon twisted in Hyuk’s grip completely.

The makne shouted in panic as he felt her slip from his hands, but Hakyeon had already crossed her legs around his waist and her arms behind his head. Hyuk immediately adjusted to the new grip and gripped her underneath her thighs, his hands too tight for a beat.

“You could have fallen!” He said, aghast, somehow not noticing the irony.

“Please.” Hakyeon scoffed. “Now,  _ mush _ .”

“What?” Hyuk was confused for a moment, and then Hakyeon’s satisfied smile sunk in. “No, ew. Okay, fine. You’re free.” He dropped his arms but she didn’t budge.

Hakyeon grinned wider. She estimated she could hold on for about two hours before she started getting tired. Hakyeon dropped her head on Hyuk’s broad shoulder, hearing him groan as he realized his plan had utterly backfired. A satisfied smile lingered on her lips. This is what they got for making fun of her height. Hah.

Two hours later Hyuk walked slowly into the living room, a passed out Hakyeon drooling on his shoulder. The expression on his face was long suffering, but his hands didn’t waver from where they were securely keeping her in place.

Taekwoon looked up from where she was nestled into the couch, took one look at his expression, and burst into laughter.

Hyuk groaned at the turned tables. 

fin.


End file.
